Quick report
- Red Flags
- Recent Avalanches, Heavy Snowfall, Cracking
- Red Flags Comment
- <p>It looked like a natural cycle had already run when we entered the Whipple, shallow storm slab crowns and debris was noted on mostly W facing features. We did get some cracking in the new snow that produced small D.5 avalanches in isolated pieces of steeper terrain. </p>
On our way up towards the top of Waldo Chute, a small natural avalanche (D1) released within the new snow and entrained more snow than we were anticipating. This event carried one of the members in party about 30 feet downhill. With the sensitivity of conditions today the terrain we chose to climb was more constrained and a ridge feature would have been more appropriate.
Snowpack
- Instability Comment
- <p>Seemed like a widespread natural cycle occurred sometime during the high PI rates. Storm slabs were still producing shooting cracks, with the graupel pooling and low density surface snow, small avalanches were entraining a lot of snow on their way down. </p>
Low density powder mixed with graupel. In isolated features the graupel pooling was significant.